Other common synonyms for the domesticated apple

Due to its long history of cultivation and confused taxonomy, the domesticated apple has several synonyms that you might encounter in older literature:

• Malus pumila auct. (The "auct." is short for auctorum, meaning "of authors," indicating this was a widely used but incorrect application of the name).
• Malus communis Poir. (From the Latin "communis," meaning "common").
• Pyrus malus L. (This was the original name given by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. He placed apples in the same genus as pears, Pyrus. This is now considered incorrect).